Continuous Sound Collection Using Smartphones and Machine Learning to Measure Cough.

Background: Despite the efforts of research groups to develop and implement at least partial automation, cough counting remains impractical. Analysis of 24-h cough frequency is an established regulatory endpoint which, if addressed in an automated manner, has the potential to ease cough symptom evaluation over multiple 24-h periods in a patient-centric way, supporting the development of novel treatments for chronic cough, an unmet clinical need.

Objectives: In light of recent technological advancements, we propose a system based on the use of smartphones for objective continuous sound collection, suitable for automated cough detection and analysis.